Post PAX Wrap-up

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

PAX Prime 2014 is over. The last four days have blurred together into a strange amalgam of games, panels and caffeine. From big franchise games like Shadow of Mordor to indie card game RESISTOR_, we covered a lot of ground this year and got our hands on a lot of interesting games. You'll hear more about those games in the coming days. For now, I'll leave you with a few choice highlights.

Anthony from Cardboard Fortress acquaints us with the rules of RESISTOR_

1)The Indie MEGABOOTH is one of my favorite places at PAX. It's filled with dozens of little indie studios showing off their latest games. As someone that loves talking to game devs, the megabooth is a perfect environment. Everyone is very passionate about their game (or games) and excited to talk about them. I love chatting about what is going on under the hood of games as much as I love talking about the experience of playing.

2) The sixth floor contains a lot of smaller studios and publishers. Paradox, Midnight City and Grimm Bros can all be found there. To some degree, it's a taste of what PAX felt like in 2007. It's less crowded and less flamboyant than the darkened expo hall. This year I was stunned by Never Alone, a cooperative game inspired by Alaskan Native tradition and mythology. It's a game with stunning visuals and an authentic art design unlike anything I've seen in any game before it.

The crew of Acquisitions, Inc. admire their new Battle Balloon.

3) Acquisitions Inc is the live D&D game played on stage by Mike Krahulic, Jerry Holkins, and Scott Kurtz. Joining them this year was Morgan Webb, of XPlay and Blizzard fame, and Patrick Rothfuss the fantasy author and blogger. Their adventure featured old castles, an airship, liquor filled robots and a whole lot of dragons. We've seen the game every year and this year was one of their strongest performances yet.

I'm still reeling from the four incredible days we spent at PAX this year. My head is spinning, my legs hurt and I have had far too little sleep in the past 96 hours. PAX is an incredible experience, but like any convention, it takes a lot out of you.